Ballmer says Microsoft at work to rival iPad — REDMOND, Wash.—Acknowledging Apple's early success with the iPad, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer insisted Thursday that the software maker is hard at work on Windows-based tablets. — “They'll be shipping as soon as they are ready,” Ballmer said …

Google: The search party is over — Yes, the company is still growing at rates that would be the envy of the rest of the Fortune 500. But its core business is slowing, its stock is down, its Android mobile platform generates scant revenue, and competition (hello, Facebook) is fierce.

Google Confirms: We're Not Currently Blocked In China — We've just received word from Google that they are not currently blocked in China and that a server issue was most likely the cause of their dashboard misread. From Google: … While their statement also confirms that there was a small amount …

Sources: Spotify Reboots U.S. Label Negotiations — Spotify's licensing negotiations with the major music labels have reverted back to square one, Billboard.biz has learned from multiple sources. — Having failed to persuade the major record labels to go along with its vision for a U.S. version …

Upload limit increases to 15 minutes for all users — We want YouTube to be the best place to upload video. Without question, the number one requested feature by our creators is to upload videos longer than 10 minutes. We've heard you, and today we're pleased to announce that we've increased the upload limit to 15 minutes.

Microsoft: We are focusing on eight core businesses — Microsoft critics tend to knock the company for being either too reliant on its cash cows (Windows and Office) or too scattered, chasing too many nonprofitable businesses. — At the kick-off of the company's annual Financial Analyst Meeting …

How to hide yourself from Google and cell phone carriers — The problem with being private is that it increasingly means that you have to choose to drop out of society. You would never let the government put a tracking device on you, but you may be carrying a cell phone that tracks your location.

Rain or Snow, Now You Can See Weather in Google Earth — It's the middle of summer, but for those of us who long for the return of cold winter weather and warm cups of cocoa, throw on your favorite poncho and check out the weather in Google Earth 5.2. The latest version projects images …

EVO 4G's Android 2.2 update starts trickling out tomorrow, loads of new features and fixes in store? (update: official for August 3rd!) — We're not certain that this date is going to hold — things like this have an uncanny tendency to slip at the last possible moment …

Adult industry sees iPorn potential in new phone — NEW YORK — It's a maxim of technology: Invent the newest gadget and the porn industry will find a way to cash in. — So when Apple Inc. launched the iPhone 4 and its FaceTime videoconference feature, it didn't take long …

Oracle Sued By U.S. Justice Department For Contract Fraud — The U.S. Department of Justice has sued Oracle (ORCL) for contract fraud, alleging the company over-charged the government in hundreds of millions of dollars worth software sales. — Under a contrast with the General Services Administration …

Magic Trackpad Teardown — Have you ever wondered what makes a trackpad magical? Well wonder no more. Join us as we delve into the deep abyss of Apple's ocean of magical peripherals to explore the mysterious Magic Trackpad.

Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 beta due in September — Microsoft is readying a beta of its Internet Explorer (IE) 9 browser that it will roll out in September, according to Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner. — Turner shared the beta date during his morning keynote …

Blackberry Inventor Sees More Growth Opportunity — Mike Lazaridis, the man who virtually invented the smart-phone market, insists his company is just getting started. — If you know the name Mike Lazaridis, you've probably heard some variation of how he came up with the idea for the Blackberry …

How Low Will E-Reader Prices Go? — As Amazon prepares to release a $139 Kindle e-reader next month, could even cheaper e-readers be close behind? — A small manufacturer already plans to introduce a $99 device this fall. Copia, a subsidiary of DMC Worldwide, is set to offer a $99 …

YouTube Banned by a Far East Court — A Far East court has banned YouTube and four other web sites for “extremist” content in a ruling that promises to raise new worries about free speech. — The Internet is widely recognized as the last uncensored media in Russia, and the ruling nudges …

Google Introduces Location-Aware Mobile Display Ads — Google's mobile ads are becoming more location-aware. Today, Google is introducing mobile display ads for both the iPhone and Android phones which can be geo-targeted. Advertisers will be able to check a “location extension for display” …

PSD2 Compliance in Zoho Books — The Revised Payment Services Directive, also known as the PSD2, is a set of regulatory guidelines laid down by the European Union (EU) for finance, banking, and payment service companies.

Google Fi - a phone plan, by Google — We felt that most phone plans just weren't made with you in mind. So that's why we built Google Fi with features that real people actually want. Click to learn more.